Arsenal’s invincibles – Why did they under achieve?

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The recent book by Amy Lawrence and brilliant Tuesday Club podcast focusing on the unbeaten season has led a lot of people to reminisce about ‘the good old days’.

3 league titles in 7 seasons, 4 FA Cups in 5 seasons, a Champions League Final and teams filled with World Class talent playing exciting football. The early Wenger years were exceptional.

Or where they?

A recent discussion on the matter between myself and others resulted in us agreeing, the invincible side actually under achieved. We had assembled one of the best sides in football history (it went unbeaten) and at the time, one of the best sides in world football, yet it had 2 big failings:

  • No back to back titles
  • No Champions League win

Most people will agree, we should have won the league in 1999 and 2003. We should have dominated football for a generation, so why did we under achieve?

Failure to improve

One of the major reason’s we failed to win back to back titles is due to a failure to build on what we had.

Having won the title in 1998 by a solitary point, the difference between Manchester United and Arsenal was minute. There was nothing between them.

Over the next season (pre transfer windows), Arsenal signed David Grondin (18 year old left back), a 21 year old Swede call Karl Fredrik Ljungberg, the bright young hope of English football, Jermaine Pennant (who was just 15 at the time), and in January 2 strikers, Nwankwo Kanu and Kaba Diawara. Just over £10 million spent.

Meawhile, at Manchester, they made 2 big money signings – Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke – both costing over £10 million. It gave them the defensive rock and the goals that were missing the previous season. They also added Jesper Blomqvist, giving them back up to the injury prone Ryan Giggs.

Manchester United strengthened more than Arsenal, and ended up winning the treble. Arsenal finished a point behind and were a penalty kick away from knocking United out of the FA Cup.

After the treble, Manchester United continued to strengthen, winning the next 2 league titles by 18 points and 10 points respectively.

In 2001/02 Arsenal were once more crowned Champions, with Manchester United finishing 3rd, conceding 45 goals.

The response? Manchester United broke the world transfer record for a defender signing Rio Ferdinand for £29.1 million. Arsenal signed Pascal Cygan. Yes, Arsenal also added World Cup winner Gilberto Silva, but the signing of Rio Ferdinand was a statement.

Once more, Arsenal had failed to build, and Manchester United capitalised on Arsenal falling apart due to lack of defenders to romp to the title.

Writing this, history has since continued to repeat itself. A failure to build and lack of defenders continually damaging our title chances…

I do not think it is up for argument that had Arsenal strengthened further in 1998 and 2002, we would have secured a further 2 league titles.

THAT penalty

Without blaming Dennis Bergkamp, I do sometimes wonder how different history would have been had he not missed that injury time penalty in 1999.

Had Peter Schmeichel not saved it, I am sure Arsenal would have won the FA Cup in 1999. I am also sure that the defeat would have broken Manchester United and we would have won the league. Manchester United probably would not have gone on to win the Champions League either.

Did this penalty change history? Manchester United won a historic treble and won 3 titles in a row. Arsenal struggled to recover from the heart break.

Wembley & Champions League Heartbreak

Firstly, Wembley messed Arsenal about. It was a decision made for commercial reasons and destroyed our early years in the Champions League.

2004 should have been Arsenal’s season to win the Champions League. We had the best team in Europe. Other giants in Europe (Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Manchester United) were struggling. It was ours to lose. And we lost it. It was inexplicable.

There are no solid reasons for us losing. Were we too confident – a trait the unbeaten team suffered from – thinking it was only Chelsea, who had not beaten us in 17 attempts? Who knows. But the 2-1 home defeat was an arrow in the heart, and moves us on to the next reason for under achievement of the Invincibles. Chelsea.

Chelsea

Roman Abramovich took charge of Chelsea in 2003 and changed world football for ever. To misquote David Dein, he “parked his Russian tanks on the lawn and fired £50 notes at everyone”. That first summer, he spent over £120million on new players.

At the time, Arsenal were a settled side with World Class talent. The Invincibles were at their peak, and went unbeaten. We were nicely set up to dominate football for the next decade.

With World Class players in the first team squad (Pires, Henry, Vieira, Ljungberg, Campbell), mixed in with talented youngsters (Ashley Cole, Reyes, Toure), and a very promising youth set up (which included Clichy & Fabregas), the future looked bright.

But Chelsea changed all of that. By 2004, the players signed in their first summer of expenditure had settled. They then added a further £95million in playing talent and secured arguably Roman Abramovich’s best signing, Jose Mourinho.

A quick thought, had we beaten Chelsea and gone on to win the Champions League, would Mourinho have joined Chelsea? Perhaps not. Anyway, I digress.

Over £200million spent in 2 summers. Arsenal were about to dominate English football. We were all ready and set to go. We would have remained at the top of the tree, even with the cost of the stadium.

Instead, Chelsea caused the price of everything up. Squad players were suddenly getting £100k a week. In some cases, they were paying squad players more than what Henry and Campbell were on.

Chelsea went on to win the next two league titles. But more importantly, they ripped the heart out of Arsenal. Starting with the pursuit of Ashley Cole. Players begun to get their heads turned by money on offer at other clubs. At a time where Arsenal were able to offer a competitive salary and trophies, they were suddenly in a position to offer neither.

And where Chelsea led, Manchester City followed. Increasing salaries further, pushing Arsenal further down the food chain, and snapping up the majority of our top players.

Had Roman Abramovich not decided to enter the footballing would, would the Sheik’s at Man City? Or the PSG Oilmen? Would the game have become a rich mans play thing? Who knows.

Chelsea changed the landscape. They pushed Arsenal from the steps of greatness, back down the ladder.

 

Yes, the invincible squad (and what came a little before) was successful. But it could have, no it should have, with a little more investment, done so much more.

The worry is the trends have continued. Not strengthening. Losing top players (Overmars, Petit), problems with squad depth, all the issues from between our title truimphs are still present. The only difference is we are now much worse off so they are further exposed.

The invincibles, the greatest side I will see in my life time, but failed to become the greatest side anyone will see in their life time.

Keenos

 

Nearly 10 Reasons why we will beat beat Sunderland – My starting 11

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1)  Even tho we were toilet in Europe this week for large spells of the game the players didn’t give up.

2) Sunderland got spanked by Southampton last week, an early goal and they fall apart again.

3) We have a great record both against Sunderland and up at The Stadium of Light, only losing once to them in the last 21 games in the League.

4) Diaby is injured, Jack is suspended but Theo is back and likely to start on the bench,

5) If we don’t win it will the worst opening 9 games to a league season under Wenger, or since football began according to some idiots.

6) Sanchez is our one major bright spark, he looks settled now and could again be the inspiration.

7) With Jack suspended Wenger can’t try playing him and Ramsey in the middle together, a partnership which still looks doomed to fail.

OK I give up, I can’t think of anymore, it’s going to be another tricky game and confidence in the team is almost at an all-time low under Mr Wenger. Fingers crossed the players confidence is higher and they start putting in the performances the wages they get paid deserve.

My Starting 11 – Chesney, Bellerin, BFG, Chambers, Gibbs, Flamini, Ramsey, Santi, Alexis, Ox, Welbeck

COME ON THE ARSENAL !!

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The Arsenal Civil War – Similarities to real war?

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Arsenal is at Civil War. The infighting and arguing is getting out of hand. When a confrontational fan group such as the Black Scarf Movement is moved to tweet and blog, calling for fans to give it a rest, you know it has gone too far and for too long:

https://twitter.com/BlackScarfAFC/status/525550276070346752

In geopolitics there is a theory on war. The theory go’s that if one country can get two of its enemies fighting each other, the power of that first country is strengthened.

The two countries at war pour all their resources, which can amount to billions, fighting each other. Killing each other. Meanwhile, the first country sits idly by doing nothing more than stirring the pot, ensuring that their enemies continue the fight.

Whilst the two countries who are at war are fighting each other, they can not be fighting their main enemy, the original country. We are seeing this theory play out currently in the Middle East.

America have created a situation where 3 of their potential enemies, Syria, Iran and Iraq, are now busy fighting themselves and ISIS, rather than combing forces to fight their common enemy, America. The current war will likely plunge all 3 countries into further decades of upheaval, ensuring that none of them will ever have the power to challenge the US. It has gone on for years in the Middle East.

At Arsenal, we are seeing a similar landscape. The board, the club, have created a situation where we see a split of fans. You have those who want Arsene Wenger gone. Those who want him to stay. It has created a massive split in both fan groups and fans themselves. The animosity witnessed on the streets of Belgium between the two sits was at his worst.

There have already been reports of fights in the stands at Brighton and Reading, and now the arguments have gone abroad.

And here is the issue, whilst the fan base is split, arguing, fighting over a single issue such as Arsene Wenger, they are split, and ignoring the common enemy, Arsenal football club themselves.

The fans should have risen as one to fight the club on ticket prices. On safe standing. On Stan Kroenke taking £3million out of the club. But whilst they are too busy fighting each other, whether it be on the streets or on social media, they will not unite to take on the club.

Meanwhile, the club sit there, stirring the pot. Giving Arsene Wenger a 3 year contract. Not buying the players we need. Saying that Wenger is the king maker. It ensures that all our energy is spent on being “Wenger In” or “Wenger Out”, giving the board are fairly free ride to make other decisions, knowing that the fans will not rise as one.

There is no side on the Arsenal civil war that can claim to be better than the other. Both sides are equally to blame. And both sides have used similar intimidatory tactics.

In Belgium, it was the ‘Thanks for the memories’ flag. A fan voiced his opinion against this flag, and was ‘laid out’. At Reading, a fan unveiled a Wenger Out flag, voicing his opinion, and he was laid out.

Claims by both ‘sides’ that it is the other who is causing the issue, is in the wrong, are false. They both are. I have seem people who want Wenger Out abuse their opponents on twitter with sickening comments. And then their opponents tweet “Typical WOB, always returning to violence and abuse.”

Likewise, I have seen the Wenger In’s tweet abuse and make derogatory comments to their opponents, and then the response being “Typical AKB, can’t have a debate without abusing.”

Both parties site their and say everyone is entitled to their opinion, whilst abusing anyone who dares offer a different opinion.

Neither the ‘WOB’ or ‘AKB’ can be proud of their behaviour towards fellow Arsenal fans.

Anyone attempting to claim the moral high ground, to put forward a view that they are all cuddly and happy to have a civilised debate, whilst their opponent is a monster and unwilling to sit and talk is wrong. They are all monsters and unwilling to talk.

Arsenal has a fan base at war with each other. Blaming each other for the war. Accusing each other of underhand, tactics. Until the war is over, we will be unable to move on, to unit against the common enemy, The Arsenal Board.

Keenos